During the morning of Friday, 16 November 2007, the final meeting of the International Steering Committee of the Consultative Process Towards an International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity (IMoSEB) continued the previous day’s discussions in a plenary session. Participants then broke into two working groups, on objectives and the science-policy interface. The working groups continued into the afternoon before reporting back to plenary.

Morning Plenary

Michel Loreau, Co-Chair of the IMoSEB Executive Committee, explained that several participants were concerned that discussions on the science-policy interface on Thursday had focused only on assessments, and encouraged attendees to discuss other options during plenary.

Didier Babin, Executive Secretary of the IMoSEB Consultative Process.

Stephan Schnierer, Southern Cross University, Australia, argued that a lot of decision-making occurs at the sub-national and local scales and that an IMoSEB can play a role in advocating for a structure to ensure that information reaches these levels.

Working Groups

L-R: Michel Loreau and Charles Perrings, Arizona State University and Chair of the working group on the objectives of an IMoSEB.

The working group on the objectives of an IMoSEB used a document submitted by the co-chairs of the IMoSEB consultation, and circulated at the beginning of the meeting, as a basis for discussion.

Dais for the working group on the science-policy interface, L-R: Chad Monfreda, IMoSEB Executive Secretariat; Didier Babin; and the working group Chair, Philippe Le Prestre, Laval University.

The working group on the science-policy interface took place in two parts: a broad discussion on guiding principles for an IMoSEB, followed by a more focused discussion on describing specific proposals on the structure and institutional home of an IMoSEB.